Letter to Paul Zukunft, Coast Guard Commandant - Reactivate Polar Sea

Letter

June 26, 2014

Admiral Paul F. Zukunft
Commandant
United States Coast Guard
2100 2nd St. SW, Stop 7000
Washington, DC 20593

Dear Admiral Zukunft:

Congratulations on your appointment last month as the Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard. As you begin your tenure as Commandant, we want to highlight the need for reinvestment in the Coast Guard's icebreaker fleet, including reactivation of the Polar Sea.

As the Coast Guard's May 2013 Arctic Strategy document indicates, your agency will be tasked with new responsibilities in the Arctic and currently lacks the resources to meet those responsibilities. Further, the Coast Guard's High Latitude Study in 2011 indicated a need for at least three medium duty and three heavy duty icebreakers.

While the successful reactivation of the Polar Star has improved Coast Guard icebreaking capabilities, it is clear that additional resources are needed. The Polar Star has projected future service life of only seven to ten years, ending around the time a new icebreaker could come into service. Reactivating the Polar Sea could bridge the gap between permanent retirement of the Polar Star and the activation of a new icebreaker by 2022, giving our country at least two active heavy duty icebreakers during this period and important backup capabilities should the Polar Star need unscheduled repair.

As you are aware, Congress continues to consider annual Coast Guard reauthorization legislation. Our understanding is that the draft Senate reauthorization bill contains funding for reactivation of the Polar Sea, while the House of Representative bill passed earlier this year does not. Your support for reactivation of the Polar Sea could help make the case for funding as a conference agreement is worked out between the two houses. We urge you to consider the reactivation of the Polar Sea quickly, so that your agency's views on this matter can be taken into account during Congressional consideration of reauthorization legislation.

Congratulations again on your new position. We look forward to working with you to ensure the Coast Guard has the resources necessary to meet its many missions in the Arctic and throughout the world.

Sincerely,

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